A Moon in Your Paws
by wolf with panther eyes
Summary: Set after Sunset: Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight are fighting again. Leafpool wishes they would stop, and when the two cats wake up they discover they've switched bodies. Will they cope with being each other? On Hiatus
1. I wish they'd stop arguing

I think this is the first ever warrior body-switch story. I do not own warriors and I want you to leave a review. Please?

* * *

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"If I didn't, you'd do something stupid! I know you."

"Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight are fighting again," Ashfur remarked. "I thought they'd made up."

"So did I," Leafpool glanced towards the direction of the voices.

"Just because you're the deputy and I'm not, doesn't mean you can boss me around!"

"I'm not trying to boss you around! If you just cooperated one time..."

Leafpool sighed. She hated hearing her sister argue with Brambleclaw. Leafpool hated argueing.

"Wonder if Squirrelflight's starting to realise that I'm the one for her," Ashfur smirked. Leafpool flicked her tail across his mouth. He'd recieved a deep scratch which needed to heal, which was why he was in the medicine den.

"Maybe I just won't talk to you!" Squirrelflight was hissing angrily.

"It would save me a lot of bother. I already have enough to do."

"Then go and do it!" Squirrelflight's voice changed as she imitated Brambleclaw. "Look at me, I'm Brambleclaw! I'm the ThunderClan deputy. Everyone must bow down before me!" She laughed mockingly. "Go on then! If your job's more important then I am."

There was silence. Brambleclaw padded past Leafpool's den, his amber eyes glowing with anger. Behind him, Squirrrelflight's fur bristled.

Ashfur gave a little sigh. "I kinda want them to make up," he admitted. "After all, this shouting does my head in."

Leafpool was thinking the same thing. "They shouldn't spend all of their time argueing. It'll just drive them further away from each other."

"Maybe StarClan can help them," Ashfur suggested. "After all, they gave _you_ a sign that they wanted them to be together." His voice had a touch of bitterness in it.

Leafpool shook her head. "This is up to them to sort it out," she meowed half-heartedly.

But as night fell and Leafpool curled up in her mossy nest, she couldn't resist glancing up at Silverpelt. "Is there anything you can do?" she murmured. No reply came to her. Leafpool lowered her head and closed her eyes.

* * *

Squirrelflight shifted uncomfortably in her nest. She was sleeping heavily, but a shudder passed through her body.

"Ow!" Cloudtail complained as she kicked him in the back. "Squirrelflight, stop it!" He licked the area she had hurt before curling down again, annoyence shining in his blue eyes.

Near the middle of the den, Brambleclaw twisted over. His whole body was twitching.

And outside, Stormfur watched a shooting star as it whizzed over ThunderClan.


	2. Switched!

As anyone who writes body-switch stories will know, the hardest and most fun bit to write is when the charcters first get switched. I hope you enjoy how Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight react.

* * *

Sunlight was trickling through the roof of the warriors' den when Brambleclaw woke up. _How long was I asleep? _he wondered, rolling onto his side. He still felt slightly sleepy. 

"You're awake," a voice said beside him. Brambleclaw turned to see Sandstorm facing him.

Brambleclaw pulled himself to his feet. "Sorry I slept in..." he began, than stopped. Sandstorm seemed larger than she normally did. She was about the same size as he was now. Brambleclaw was usually taller than her.

"It's okay," Sandstorm meowed, licking him between his ears. Brambleclaw stared in astonishment; the pale ginger she-cat had never been affectionate with him before. "What's the matter?" Sandstorm added. "I hope you're feeling alright."

"I'm fine," Brambleclaw said, then stopped in shock. Was that his voice that had just come out of his mouth? It sounded higher than his normal voice, and kind of mischevous.

Sandstorm stared at him, unconvinced. "Okay then. You ready to join us on our hunting patrol?"

"Hunting patrol?" Brambleclaw repeated in his odd new voice. He was starting to get really confused.

"Actually, I don't think you should come," Sandstorm meowed, twitching one ear. "You're obviously not feeling like yourself today."

_You have no idea! _Brambleclaw wanted to yowl as Sandstorm left the den. What was wrong with him?

Sandstorm turned before she left. "Just rest, and maybe you'll feel better for another patrol. See you, Squirrelflight."

Brambleclaw watched her go, feeling his bones turn to ice. _She just called me Squirrelflight!_

Slowly, he lowered his head and stared at his paws. His right paw was right, and his left paw was ginger.

Breathing hard, Brambleclaw turned to stare at his side. It was orange, with slightly darker stripes.

Feeling panicky, Brambleclaw raced out of the warriors' den and rushed towards Leafpool's den.

"Squirrelflight?" a bemused Ashfur mewed as Brambleclaw rushed into the den and crouched beside the small pool.

Instead of a broad tabby face with dark fur and amber eyes, Brambleclaw saw two green eyes set in the face of a ginger tabby she-cat... One he knew very well.

"It's not possible..." Brambleclaw whispered. "It's just not possible..."

And then he heard a loud yowl from the warriors' den. Brambleclaw turned in shock. He knew that yowl very well indeed.

As Brambleclaw entered the warriors' den, a large paw struck him. Brambleclaw rolled over with the force of the blow; looking up he saw two angry eyes glaring at him. "This is all your fault!"

"You think I meant for this to happen?" Brambleclaw retorted. He got to his feet and stared at the cat opposite him. It could have been Tigerstar, or even Hawkfrost. But it wasn't.

Brambleclaw was staring at himself.

"Squirrelflight?" he mewed cautiously.

Brambleclaw's body raised a paw threatingly. "What did you _do_ to me?"

Brambleclaw flattened his ears. "I didn't do anything!" he hissed. "You think I'd have done this to myself? I'm as shocked as you are!"

Brambleclaw watched his own eyes narrow. "You are Brambleclaw, aren't you?"

"Course I am," Brambleclaw answered. He couldn't help wishing Squirrelflight's body was a little larger; he hated having to look up to her. It felt so weird.

Squirrelflight sat down, the anger leaving her new amber eyes. "Why am I you? Or, why are you me?"

"How should I know?" Brambleclaw meowed in Squirrelflight's voice. Squirrelflight opened her mouth to reply, but then Dustpelt walked in.

"Hey, Brambleclaw!" he greeted Squirrelflight, who of course looked like the ThunderClan deputy. "Firestar wants to speak to you in his den."

"Okay, I'll be there." Shooting a warning glance at Brambleclaw, she got up to leave. As she went through the gap, she banged her head on the brambles. "Ow!"

Brambleclaw rolled his eyes. His body was a lot larger than Squirrelflight's; she hadn't ducked enough.

As Dustpelt followed Squirrelflight-in-Brambleclaw's-body, Brambleclaw wondered what to do next. Sandstorm had told him to stay here and rest.

"May as well," he grumbled. "I don't want to face the Clan like this."

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Please R&R!

**Next chapter:** Squirrelflight-as-Brambleclaw hears of a prophecy which concerns her and Brambleclaw...


	3. A New Prophecy

I made a mistake in the last chapter.

**Slowly, he lowered his head and stared at his paws. His right paw was right, and his left paw was ginger.**

This was meant to read:

**Slowly, he lowered his head and stared at his paws. His right paw was white, and his left paw was ginger.**

Sorry about that.

Thanks to all my reviewers! If you like this story, write one of your own! I'd love to read them. I promise I'll read every Warriors body switching story that is written.

* * *

Leafpool opened her eyes and found herself in the starlit clearing where she came to talk to StarClan. Sure enough, Spottedleaf sat on the other side of the clearing. As Leafpool got to her paws, the pretty tortoiseshell padded over to her. Her amber eyes were, to Leafpool's surprise, gleaming with amusement.

"I have a message for you, Leafpool," she meowed.

Leafpool nodded. "What is it?"

Spottedleaf sat down and glanced at the sky. "For a moon, night and sky shall be switched. Balance will then finally be restored between the two."

Leafpool couldn't make head or tail of it. "Night and sky will be switched?"

"For a moon," Spottedleaf repeated. Noticing Leafpool's look of confusion, she added. "It may not be clear to you, but it will be to others."

Leafpool wondered who Spottedleaf meant by 'others'. "Thank you, Spottedleaf."

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Squirrelflight padded slowly across the clearing. She felt very uncomfortable in Brambleclaw's body; why did he have to be so large? His paws took up more space than hers did, and she was at Firestar's den in less steps than she would have been in her own body.

She glanced up at the path to Firestar's den before glancing at her paws. She remembered banging her head on the brambles because she hadn't yet grown used to using this body. Judging the distance carefully, she slowly began to climb. Unfortunatly, her good efforts were wasted once she got to the den.

"Ow!" she exclaimed for the second time so far that morning.

"Brambleclaw, you're here." Firestar's green eyes glinted. "You took your time."

Squirrelflight instinctively glanced over her shoulder, almost expecting to see Brambleclaw behind her. It took her a second to remember that, to Firestar, _she_ was Brambleclaw. "I, er, slept in." Brambleclaw's strong voice came out of her mouth.

"Hmm." Firestar flicked his tail, inviting Squirrelflight to sit down. Once again, she misjudged the distance and sat down more heavily than she would have done.

"You okay, Brambleclaw?" Squirrelflight turned her head sharply. Gentle amber eyes gazed at her; Leafpool was there too.

"I'm fine," Squirrelflight muttered. She didn't feel fine at all; she was confused and upset. _How would you like it if you were in someone else's body?_ Squirrelflight thought bitterly.

"So, Leafpool," Firestar meowed. "What is this prophecy?"

Squirrelflight sat up slightly taller, grazing her head on the cave roof. She grimaced. By the time Brambleclaw got his body back, he would find it covered in scratches and bruises.

Leafpool glanced at Squirrelflight-in-Brambleclaw, her eyes clouded with concern. "I had a dream last night," she began. "Spottedleaf visited me and told me a prophecy." Slowly, she recited. "For a moon, night and sky shall be switched. Balance will then finally be restored between the two."

Squirrelflight couldn't help gasping. Her mind was already deciphering the prophecy: night and sky... her and Brambleclaw. For a moon... they would be switched for a moon? She sincerly hoped Leafpool was wrong. She _did not_ want to be Brambleclaw for a moon.

"I can't understand it." Firestar sounded puzzled. "Do you, Leafpool?"

Leafpool shook her head. "I don't know what it could be," she admitted. "But Spottedleaf told me it would relate to certain cats."

"What do you think, Brambleclaw?" Firestar addressed his deputy.

Squirrelflight, lost in thoughts and plans, didn't hear him.

"Brambleclaw!" Firestar said louder.

"What?" Squirrelflight snapped back to reality. Firestar sighed.

"Never mind. I think you should rest today, though. You obviously aren't feeling yourself."

Squirrelflight dipped her head. "Okay, Firestar." She didn't plan on resting, though.

She planned to tell Brambleclaw everything she'd heard... and she wanted to try and switch back. A moon was too long!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! It means the world to me if you take time to tell mewhat you think about this story.

I've heard somewhere that there's a Warriors ficwhere Brambleclaw and Ashfr switch bodies on this site! I've been trying to find it, but I can't. if you've found it, please tell me!

Meanwhile, here's chapter 4. Enjoy!

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Brambleclaw hadn't been able to get to sleep. He'd already slept in until sunhigh, so was completely wide awake. Since Squirrelflight had gone, he'd been trying out a few fighting moves by himself, trying to get used to being in the body of the ginger she-cat.

When Brambleclaw lashed out with his paw, he soon found out he had to be closer to his target. He also found out that thumping his paw against a tree stump four times in a row hurt.

A smell drifted into the den. It was familiar, but unlike any cat that Brambleclaw had scented. Then he realised: he was smelling himself. To confirm his suspicions, a second later a dark brown tabby pushed his way into the den, letting out a gasp as his head banged against the roof. Brambleclaw rolled his green eyes.

"I see you've finally got the hang of being tall," he meowed sarcastically.

Squirrelflight shot him a glare, familiar even with her eyes amber instead of green. "It'll be you who hurts when we switch back."

Brambleclaw decided that now wouldn't be a good time to tell her about his aching paw. "What did Firestar want?"

Squirrelflight pawed the ground. "Leafpool received a prophecy from StarClan last night."

"What was it?" Brambleclaw asked. Catching sight of Squirrelflight's expression, he added "it's bad, isn't it?"

"Depends if you like being me." Squirrelflight lay down, hitting the ground heavily. She winced. "How'd you get that bruise on your stomach?"

Brambleclaw had tripped over a tree root on patrol yesterday, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "What was the prophecy about?"

"Something about day and night switching for a moon, and balance been restored," Squirrelflight answered, giving one of Brambleclaw's paws a lick to get some dirt off it. She shuddered: she'd shared tongues with Brambleclaw before, but this was completely different.

Brambleclaw stared at her. "A moon?"

"A moon," Squirrelflight confirmed.

At that moment, Stormfur wandered into the den. "What's this about a moon?" he asked, pausing.

"Oh, nothing," Squirrelflight mewed hastily. "Just wondering how long it'll be until no-leaf."

Stormfur nodded. "Well, I'm going to sleep," he meowed, heading towards his nest and settling in it. "I've hardly had a rest since moonhigh."

Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight's eyes met. Brambleclaw beckoned with Squirrelflight's tail, and the two cats crept out of the den with a final yelp from Squirrelflight as she banged her head for the third time that day.

Xxxxxxxx

"Now what?" Brambleclaw glanced at Squirrelflight as they sat on the outskirts of the clearing.

Squirrelflight shrugged. "We're just going to have to get through this. At least it's only a moon."

"Hi, Brambleclaw!" A cream-coloured apprentice ran up to them.

"Hi, Berrypaw," Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight meowed at the same time.

"Are we still going hunting?" Berrypaw asked. "You said we were!"

"Err…" Squirrelflight's eyes flickered towards Brambleclaw. Then she suddenly thought _'Hey! This would be good practise for when I get an apprentice!'_

"Of course," she replied. "Where do you want to go?"

Berrypaw looked at the cat he thought was his mentor. "You said we'd go to the Twoleg nest."

"I did, didn't I?" Squirrelflight agreed. "Come on, then."

Berrypaw dashed out of the camp. Squirrelflight hung back for a second. "We'll talk later," she muttered before following the young tom. As she ran through the woods, occasionally banging her head and paws as she miscalculated distances, she thought to herself _You know what? You're now a mentor and ThunderClan deputy! This could be fun!_

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Brambleclaw was thinking _Why me? StarClan, why'd you ever let her take over my body?_, and getting funny looks from Ferncloud as he sat there, staring at the sky.


	5. Hunting in a Different Body

I was bored so I just typed this chapter. This might be my worst yet, I wasin a hurry. Anyway, enjoy, and a big thanks to anyone who reviewed. This cahpter is dedicated to you.

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After her burst of optimism, Squirrelflight was starting to wonder how she'd ever been thinking this wasn't as bad as Brambleclaw had thought.

Berrypaw returned with yet another mouse in his mouth, his eyes glowing in surprise that his 'mentor' had still not caught anything. "You feeling alright, Brambleclaw?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Squirrelflight retorted. She'd found that whenever she crouched into the hunting position, her usual light footsteps had become heavier. So far, she'd scared off two swallows, a wood pigeon and around seven mice. Whereas Berrypaw had returned with three mice and a thrush.

Feeling humiliated, she added "Have you caught enough fresh-kill yet?"

Berrypaw glanced at his modest pile, then at the bare space of Earth around Squirrelflight. "For once I've caught more then you," he pointed out.

Squirrelflight sighed. "Let's get back to camp," she meowed.

Berrypaw's eyes widened. "Brambleclaw," he meowed hesitantly. "Do you think I can go to the Gathering this moon?"

Squirrelflight felt a sudden rush of affection towards the apprentice. "I'll have a word with Firestar," she replied, flicking his shoulder with her tail. Having a slightly thicker tail then usual, Berrypaw received a slightly stronger flick then usual, but he decided not to take any notice. "Thanks, Brambleclaw."

Squirrelflight smiled. "Don't mention it." Berrypaw was learning fast; he deserved to go to the Gathering.

As the once-ginger-now-dark-brown cat bent to pick up two of Berrypaw's mice, she suddenly realised how much influence she had. She was the Clan deputy now! She hadn't thought of it before, because she'd still been shocked by the switch. But now she realised the full extent of her responsibility.

_I could ask Firestar to do anything, _Squirrelflight thought, _and he would take it seriously._

Snapping back to reality, she saw her apprentice staring at her. "What are you waiting for?" Squirrelflight exclaimed in a slightly higher-pitched voice then Brambleclaw would have used.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brambleclaw was having difficulty with his hunting position too. His steps were so light that he kept falling over. _Thank StarClan no one's watching, _he thought to himself. At least he'd actually caught something - a small, old mouse that had a limp.

"Brambleclaw?"

Brambleclaw glanced up and bit his tongue, trying to stop crying out loud. "Oh, it's you," he meowed instead.

The dark brown tabby had appeared from the midst of the undergrowth. "Oh, it's you? I like that!" she mewed sarcastically.

Brambleclaw rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

Squirrelflight had a glimmer of pride in her amber eyes. "I'm ThunderClan deputy!"

"So?" Brambleclaw snapped.

"Well, I only just realised it," Squirrelflight meowed defiantly. "Also, Berrypaw's ready for a Gathering, isn't he?"

"I guess so."

Squirrelflight looked pleased. "Good." She sat down and began to groom her… er, _Brambleclaw's_… fur. She hated doing this, but she did it instinctively, shivering with the thought that it was dark brown, not ginger, tabby fur she was washing.

Brambleclaw obviously thought the same; he looked away, pretending to examine a tree's roots. He did not, _did not_, want to groom the pelt he had at the moment. He made a mental note to himself to try and stay as clean as possible.

"How's hunting coming?" he meowed bluntly, trying to break the silence that hung between them.

Squirrelflight stopped grooming. "Berrypaw caught loads, I got nothing," she said as fast as she could.

She could feel Brambleclaw's stare burn through her, even though it was with green eyes rather than his usual amber. "What?" he hissed under his breath. "You're… you're telling me you let _an apprentice _beat me?"

Squirrelflight slowly began to back away. "Umm… I'd rather not answer that."

Brambleclaw gave a small snarl of annoyance. "You caught _nothing_?"

Squirrelflight backed away more. "I'll, umm, see you later then." She turned and ran off into the forest.

"Oh no you don't!" Brambleclaw leapt after her and immediately crashed to the ground. Looking back, he saw the same branch that he'd tripped over while on patrol yesterday. He glanced backwards and forwards between Squirrelflight's retreating tail and the branch.

"Squirrelflight can wait," he muttered to himself as he began to claw the branch to shreds.


	6. Chapter 6

The reason for this chapter? I've just realised I haven't updated in ages - I need to get a move on! If you have a good idea for the story, please tell me!

* * *

A dark brown shape sprinted past Leafpool as she collected some herbs. "Brambleclaw?" she mewed in amazement.

"Sorry, no time to chat." Brambleclaw legged it to the nearest tree and scrambled up into the branches.

Before Leafpool could say anything else, a ginger streak bounded into the clearing and off into the forest. Leafpool blinked. Had that been Squirrelflight?

Brambleclaw slowly slithered down the tree. "Sorry about that," he apologised. "Bramble…er, _Squirrelflight _and me were just playing."

Leafpool shook her head in amazement. "The things you two get up too," she muttered under her breath. Louder, she asked "She sounded really angry with you."

Brambleclaw… Oh, StarClan! Brambleclaw was _giggling_! "She has good reason to be!" Brambleclaw meowed, tossing his head back. "I'd better go hide a bit longer."

The dark brown tom grinned at Leafpool and dashed off in the opposite direction Squirrelflight had gone. Leafpool looked back at her pile of herbs in confusion. _What just happened?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Squirrelflight collapsed behind the tree, giggling like crazy. The look on Leafpool's face! She was going to remember that for the rest of her life.

Her laughter slowly subsiding, she got up and looked up at the sky. The sun looked like it would set any minute now. Swishing Brambleclaw's tail in happiness, Squirrelflight stalked back to the camp.

As she entered, she could feel the gaze of the apprentices' on her - no doubt Berrypaw had told them all about their hunting practise. She also felt another gaze on her, and turned to see herself sitting outside the warriors' den. Brambleclaw was glaring at her with anger and rage in his green eyes.

Ignoring him, Squirrelflight grabbed a piece of fresh-kill off the pile and ate it hungrily. Apparently Brambleclaw's body had a large appetite.

"Goodnight, _Brambleclaw_." The real Brambleclaw brushed past her, heading for the warriors' den.

Squirrelflight dipped her head. "Good night, _Squirrelflight_." She hesitated, and let her voice drop. "Maybe we'll wake up as ourselves."

Brambleclaw snorted. "Yeah, and hedgehogs might fly."


	7. Day 2 as you

Bet you thought I'd abandoned this!! :D

Anyway, I've finally decided to continue this story. Sorry for keeping you all waiting _forever..._

The beginning of this chapter was inspired by a Friends fanfic called 'Reflections' by Backforbreakfast.

* * *

Squirrelflight half-opened her eyes drowsily. Her left ear twitched as a faint rustling told her that the dawn patrol had just left. Closing her eyes fully, she rolled onto her back, her paws in the air.

_That had been a weird dream last night_, she thought as she reflected back on it. It had been one of her most vivid dreams, and one of her weirdest.

_Imagine me being Brambleclaw, _she mused, smiling slightly. _And Brambleclaw being me. Brambleclaw would have a fit if that really happened._

_And yet, the odd thing is… although I'm almost awake, it's like I feel larger than myself… kinda like I felt when I was Brambleclaw in my dream…_

Squirrelflight's eyes snapped open and she instantly rolled over and leapt to her feet, staring down at herself. Her dark ginger fur was dark brown.

Fox-dung.

Her reality was her dream, and it was her dream that had been real - she was obviously still Brambleclaw.

She hastily sat down on her bed of moss, glancing around the den. Most of the warriors were still asleep; paws, ears and tails twitching occasionally. Not far from where she was, Squirrelflight spotted the flame-coloured pelt that usually belonged to her.

She stood up slowly, trying not to hit her head on the roof of the den as she padded deftly towards her sleeping form. She nudged her original body with a forepaw. "Brambleclaw?" she muttered, as loudly as she dared.

Nothing happened, except that Brambleclaw drew his tail tighter around himself and carried on sleeping.

Crouching closer to him, Squirrelflight nudged him with her nose. "Brambleclaw, wake up."

One of Brambleclaw's emerald eyes opened a slit. Almost immediately, both his eyes opened fully and his jaw dropped.

Squirrelflight quickly clamped her tail across his mouth. "Be quiet, will you!" she hissed under her breath. The shock in Brambleclaw's eyes slowly extinguished as he remembered what had happened. He jerked his head away from his body's tail.

"Oh, right… the switch…" he mumbled, staring down at his paws. He glanced up at Squirrelflight. "So, we didn't switch back?"

Squirrelflight rolled her amber eyes. That question didn't even deserve a response. _Tomcats can be so oblivious sometimes. _She watched as her body struggled to her paws.

"So," Brambleclaw turned to face her. "What are we going to do?"

Squirrelflight glanced around the den. "Let's go out into the forest, for now. We can talk about this there."

Brambleclaw nodded. Slowly, the two mixed-up cats made their way outside the den. Brambleclaw easily fitted through and turned back to Squirrelflight. "Remember to duck," he meowed. "I don't want my body harmed anymore than it already is."

Squirrelflight stooped her head and emerged into the pale sunshine. "I remembered to duck," she snapped, but in reality she'd actually forgotten - not that she was going to let him know that. She padded over next to Brambleclaw and closed her eyes briefly, breathing in the fresh morning air.

"Let's get going," Brambleclaw interrupted her, throwing a fleeting look around the camp. "I don't want to be here when the others wake up." He made his way over to the camp entrance, Squirrelflight following closely behind.

They took the route that smelled the least strongly of cat to avoid meeting anyone and ended up in the same small clearing where Berrypaw had hunted with Squirrelflight yesterday. Remembering that, Squirrelflight felt her stomach growl. She ignored it, but Brambleclaw noticed it and a small smirk spread across Squirrelflight's face.

"I guess I'll be the one catching fresh-kill for both of us," he meowed, a mischievous glint in his green eyes. "Since you're such a rubbish hunter."

Squirrelflight felt anger flare up inside of her, and she gave a low growl - this time from her throat. "Just remember, it'll look like _you _that can't hunt," she spat, her fur raising along her spine.

The mischievousness that had appeared in Brambleclaw's eyes was replaced by unease. "Are you okay, Squirrelflight?" he meowed, tilting his head to one side.

Squirrelflight shook her head, forcing all her anger back. She didn't speak until the fur on her back lay flat. "I'm fine," she answered curtly, but also a little shakily. Although she had quite a short temper, she usually wouldn't get that upset about a silly comment. What had gotten into her?

Brambleclaw opened his mouth like he wanted to add more, then closed it again. He had no idea what had made him feel so mischievous before - why, he hadn't felt like that for a long time. Why would he have felt it then, at such a random time?

The two cats eyed each other cautiously, each unwilling to speak first. Finally, Squirrelflight broke the silence. "You know what, Brambleclaw?" she meowed, Brambleclaw's voice steady.

Brambleclaw twitched Squirrelflight's tail. "What?"

The former-she-cat stared down at Brambleclaw's paws. Paws so much larger and stronger than her own…

"The sooner we switch back, the better."

Brambleclaw slowly nodded. "For once, Squirrelflight, I completely agree with you." He hesitated, then meowed "Do you want to practise hunting again? I could help you."

Squirrelflight shook her head. "I'd rather try on my own, thanks." _I don't want Brambleclaw to see what an awful hunter I am now._

"Oh, okay," Brambleclaw answered. _At least I won't have to show Squirrelflight how rubbish I am at hunting. _He scuffed Squirrelflight's paws on the grass. "How about we meet up here at sunhigh?"

"Sunhigh," Squirrelflight agreed tonelessly. "See you then."

Slowly, the two warriors turned and ambled off in different directions - but in both Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, questions were already being raised - questions that couldn't be answered.

At least, not yet.


	8. Oh My StarClan

Lol, this was fun to write! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

Brambleclaw padded into the ThunderClan camp, trying not to look self-conscious as his eyes flickered backwards and forwards. At least today he'd caught some fresh-kill: a plump shrew, a small mouse and a hairy squirrel.

The usually dark-brown tom dropped his prey onto the fresh-kill pile and sat down beside it, running his tongue over Squirrelflight's teeth to remove all the hairs the squirrel left. _Huh. Squirrelflight caught a squirrel, _he couldn't help thinking, a small smile playing across Squirrelflight's features.

"Hey, Squirrelflight," a voice meowed next to him. Brambleclaw jumped, turning around to face the cat behind him.

"Oh," he sighed. "Hi, Spiderleg."

Spiderleg gave his chest a few rough licks. "Nice catch today," he remarked, glancing at the fresh-kill pile.

"Yeah…" Brambleclaw agreed slowly, watching the tom's gaze closely. He couldn't help remembering that Spiderleg had been an apprentice alongside Squirrelflight - what if he mentioned something Brambleclaw couldn't possibly remember?

Then Spiderleg said something that took Brambleclaw off guard. "So, have you made up with Brambleclaw?"

"Brambleclaw?" Brambleclaw repeated, unnerved by the sudden glow in the younger warrior's eyes. "We… uh… yeah, we've made up."

The glow in Spiderleg's eyes vanished. "Well, see you Squirrelflight." He turned and stalked off.

Brambleclaw let out a sigh of relief and turned his own head away - straight into another pair of amber eyes. He let out a surprised yelp.

"It's me, mousebrain," Squirrelflight muttered in Brambleclaw's voice. She had a strong scent of fresh-kill on her - oh good, she'd caught something. "What were you doing with Spiderleg?"

"Err… just talking."

His answer didn't seem to satisfy Squirrelflight, who sat down heavily beside him.

"Still not grasped my body's heaviness, then?" Brambleclaw meowed quietly, nudging her with a forepaw.

Squirrelflight glared at him. "I meant to sit down heavily!" she hissed, digging her claws into the ground.

Brambleclaw rolled his green eyes. "Uh-huh."

"So…" Squirrelflight glanced at him. "What were you and Spiderleg talking about?"

Brambleclaw shrugged. "He asked if you and me had made up."

"And you said yes?" Squirrelflight prompted, sheathing Brambleclaw's claws. "And then that's when he walked away."

Brambleclaw nodded, bewildered. "How'd you know?"

Squirrelflight sighed. "Brambleclaw, ever since I became an apprentice I've had toms padding after me. You, Shrewpaw, Ashfur, Stormfur…"

"Stormfur?" Brambleclaw couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"Oh, didn't he tell you? Before we met the Tribe he had a crush on me." Squirrelflight paused, then added "Of course, he only told me after he joined ThunderClan."

Brambleclaw's head reeled - he considered Stormfur to be one of his closest friends. If he'd been leader on the journey to the sun-drown place, Stormfur had been his deputy.

And then what Squirrelflight was saying suddenly hit him. "Oh, StarClan!" he yelped, his eyes wide with horror. "Are you saying that Spiderleg actually…?"

Squirrelflight slapped her dark brown tail against his mouth, shooting him a warning glance. "Not so loud," she hissed under her breath. "And yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I've seen the way Spiderleg stares at me sometimes."

If possible, Brambleclaw's eyes widened even more. _Oh StarClan, just kill me now. _He knew that Squirrelflight was attractive, and since he was in her body it was him that was attractive… but to be hit on by another tom was a completely different thing. His stomach twisted.

"I think I'm going to be sick," the ex-tomcat mumbled, tearing free of Squirrelflight's hold and dashing out of the camp.

Squirrelflight glanced across at Spiderleg; the young warrior looked puzzled as he watched 'Squirrelflight' run off. A small grin spread across Squirrelflight's face. She could have some fun with this.

_If that's how he acts when he realises Spiderleg was checking him out, _she thought mischievously, _I wonder how he'll take it when Ashfur gets him alone…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leafpool was busy fixing herbs when Brambleclaw padded into the medicine cat den.

"Hi, Brambleclaw," Leafpool greeted him, rubbing the poultice off of her paw.

"Hi, Leafpool," Brambleclaw replied, then added hesitantly "Hi, Ashfur."

The gray-flecked tomcat gave a low growl and turned his head away.

"What's wrong?" Leafpool asked.

Brambleclaw shifted from paw to paw, not meeting her gaze. "I've gained quite a few painful bruises," he meowed finally. "Is there anything you can put on them?"

"Let's see." Leafpool padded over. "Where does it hurt?" As she neared him, she could smell the strong stench of Squirrelflight in his fur - at least they appeared to be spending more time together. Leafpool suddenly recalled how she'd asked StarClan several nights ago if they could stop them fighting. Maybe they'd actually helped the two cats stop arguing.

Squirrelflight, in Brambleclaw's body, refused to meet her sister's eyes as she pointed out the bruises on Brambleclaw's head and chest. Although their telepathic bond had lessened slightly as they grew apart, they were both still attune to one another's feelings, and Squirrelflight was certain that if their eyes met, Leafpool would recognise her in an instant.

"Here we go," Leafpool meowed, smearing one of her poultices over Squirrelflight's bruises. "Just leave that on, and it should help."

Squirrelflight sighed with relief. "Thanks, Leafpool." She padded out of the den into the cool leaf-fall air, and came face to face with her own emerald stare.

"Oh, hey Bramble… _Squirrelflight_," Squirrelflight corrected herself quickly.

Brambleclaw growled. "Please tell me you've found a way to switch us back."

"Nope," Squirrelflight replied, her voice light. "Sorry."

Brambleclaw turned abruptly and stalked off. "That's it. I'm not staying in the camp until we switch back."


End file.
